by Nathaniel Torrey
In a post on the blog of the Reconciling Ministries Network, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary senior Michael Overman says that despite passing his ordination to become at minister at the United Methodist Church(UMC), he is looking to be ordained elsewhere. This is because of a policy that would require him, as a homosexual, to remain “in the closet” in order to be an ordained minister of the UMC. Mr. Overman writes:
The committee certified me, and I felt no joy. It had been made clear what I would have to do and how I would have to portray myself in order to receive clerical credentials in the UMC. While it was never articulated so directly, the message was clear: You cannot be ordained here as a whole person. You have to split yourself. We don’t want all of you. Only part of you is truly worthy of this calling. You have to hide. You have to lie. You have to be someone other than you.
This concern that somehow we won’t be “true to ourselves” or “authentic” when we become Christian puzzles me. As Psalm 51 one says, “Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” We all have baggage as we step into Church. If being Christian required us to be perfect before our baptism, no one would get baptized.
However, this does not mean that we are given license to be however we like and still expect salvation and forgiveness. We are asked to confess our sins i.e. admit that we have fallen short of the standard God has for us. There is a part of us that is ugly and sinful and there is only part of us that is worthy. Jesus teaches this in Matthew 5:30, saying, “And if your right hand offend you, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.” Whatever causes us to sin must be left behind. Any lifestyle, friends, relationships, or possession are best cast aside in the pursuit of salvation. This is of course easier said than done, but it is nevertheless true.
I don’t think that Mr. Overman would disagree with anything I just said. He would probably want to contest whether same sex attraction is one of the things we should cast aside. A detailed explication of why homosexuality is a sin is not my purpose here; it is sufficient to say that the Holy Scriptures and the Tradition of the Church for approximately 2000 years have affirmed that it is.
The condemnation of same-sex attraction is a stumbling block for most people because it is something that seems in born. It has the semblance of being part of our identity, like our hair color, or our tastes and predilections. It seems unfair that something we did not choose could be something for which we could be condemned.
However, homosexuality is not the only predilection toward sin with which one could be born. There are people who are inclined to steal, inclined to have indiscriminate sex with multiple partners, inclined to lie, inclined to vanity, and in extreme cases, like serial killers, inclined towards monstrous acts of violence and perversity. The message remains the same. Christ says in Luke 9:23, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” There are no exceptions. We must be prepared to fervently pray for the grace to follow him and deny our natural inclinations, no matter the intensity, every day of our lives.
Comment by Pudentiana on October 11, 2012 at 12:23 pm
One cross does fit all. All who will carry it. Certainly the issue of righteous sex is larger than what people designate as LGBTQ. It is also about Premarital sex or extra-marital sex and, might I add, the exponentially growing activities by “Church members” of all kinds of sex outside the bonds of Holy Matrimony. There is a very big elephant in the room. We can start to eat it…one bite at a time. Let’s start with LGBTQ and move on to the next violation.
Comment by Steve Schmidt on October 15, 2012 at 5:39 pm
So I take it, then, that YOU are living a life of celibacy in taking up YOUR cross to follow Christ? If not, then I wouldn’t be so nonchalant about insisting that others do.
Comment by Michael O. on October 16, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Just to make some clarifications:
I did not pass to move on to full ordination. I was certified as a candidate. The United Methodist ordination process is a long one, usually taking 5-7 years. I’m still in seminary and have taken more time than most to get to this most recent stage of ordination.
“This concern that somehow we won’t be “true to ourselves” or “authentic” when we become Christian puzzles me. As Psalm 51 one says, “Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” We all have baggage as we step into Church. If being Christian required us to be perfect before our baptism, no one would get baptized.”
I understand that from your perspective, my sexual orientation should be construed as “baggage.” But I feel you missed the point. As a person called to ministry, I believe that authenticity and integrity are vital to effective ministry. The reality is I’m a gay man (not homosexual… if you want real dialogue, don’t be so condescending), partnered who has wrestled with my sexuality for most of my life and, after much thought, prayer, and discernment, has come to the conclusion that I am neither called to celibacy nor any attempt at changing my sexual orientation.
You say you’re not here to offer reasons as to why homosexuality is sinful. I’m glad for this, and here’s why: if we want to be honest about it, scripture never addresses homosexuality as an orientation. In fact, it doesn’t address the idea of sexual orientation at all. The concept was foreign up until the last couple of centuries. Also, as for holy scripture and Christian tradition serving as foundational reasons for why homosexual practice is sinful, let’s not forget that both scripture and tradition rationalized the subjugation and dehumanization of women as well as the rightness of slavery in North America. When we look back on those issues today, scripture was not right… at least human interpretation of scripture was incorrect.
Throwing in buzzwords like “lifestyle and insinuating that any sexual orientation other than a heterosexual one is not an inborn part of a person doesn’t prove your point or make you right… it shows your fear (not you necessarily as an individual, but the systemic you). Fear of losing power. Fear of change. Fear of being wrong. Fear of being in true relationship with anyone whom you might categorize as “other” or separate. Fear of abandoning yourselves to the real message of the gospel, the one that challenges the status quo, that makes the first last and the last first.
It’s been said that perfect love casts out all fear. I pray that you and many others might experience this perfect love in a way that forces all fear out of you, allowing your hearts to be filled with true grace and your lives to be overflowing with abundant relationships with *all* people.
Peace,
Michael
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